AniMat Classic Reviews Fanfiction Style
by greendogtheater
Summary: A set of reviews for past animated films done on how AniMat of YouTube Channel ElectricDragon505 would've wanted.
1. Teacher Pet

Teacher's Pet.

If you recall what I said back in my Ducktales the Movie review, I watched a lot of Disney Channel shows when I was a kid but personally; this wasn't one of them. I wasn't very interested in it because the concept sounds a bit boring. I mean, the way it markets itself, it's telling me that a dog dressed up as a kid to go to school because he wants to live like humans. I know that I probably would have enjoyed that concept more as a child, but even then, it didn't really capture my interest. however, as a favor to a fan of mine who asked to do a list of animated films, I decided to give this a shot. Will this movie have us all be glad that we're humans instead of animals? Or does this prove that the concept is more suitable for television and something that only our dogs can watch? Let's find out.

The Story: To put it into words, it's just one big series finale in theatrical movie form; which, in some cases, is a rare instance. When you look upon other theatrical movies based upon animated tv shows like The Rugrats Movie, The Wild Thornberry's Movie, and Ducktales: Treasure of the Lost Lamp; they were all just ratings traps. But since teacher's Pet the show was cancelled more than a year-and-a-half before the film was released, maybe it's for the best here. It's about this dog named Spot who, for a majority of his life, or at least 10 months (which is 5 years and 10 months in dog years) dressed as an average child going to school, wishing to live like a human. He soon discovers that he can actually become human with the help of a mad scientist named Dr. Ivan Krank, who lives in Florida, where hos owners, Leonard Helperman and his mother/teacher Mary Lou, are going to for vacation in the summer, since the start of the movie showed them on the last day of school. However, long story short, Spot soon realizes that his wish isn't all what he expected to be and comes to realize that he is better off as a dog rather than a human. The story seems a bit weak as it is the typical "Be careful what you wish for," story. Heck, even in the theatrical poster, it says the same thing under the title. It appears as if this is more of an episode of the tv series made into an hour long, but the way it's executed actually seems like it can kind of work in a theatrical movie.

The Animation: Some of you probably don't know this, but the creator of the show, Gary Baseman, also created a board game with similar-looking styles called Cranium, which was quite popular. In the tv show, the animation seems a bit bland, like it's all one big cartoon drawing. Also in the show, the animators used cell animation which made it blander. But, to be fair, lots of animation seemed a bit bland since, granted, the show was aired from 2000-2002. Here in the movie, however, it seems like the animation was updated to a more flash-animated production, possibly to get in line with how animation was doing back in 2004. As for the character animation, there are times where it can bit somewhat over the top and can get a little exaggerated with how the characters move and stuff. Then there's the background animation, which seems to be the strongest aspect of the movie. The places that the characters are in, whether it be Leonard's home, Florida, the School, or even Dr. Krank's laboratory seem pretty interesting, along with the background animation that appears whenever the characters would burst out into song and that sort of brings excitement to the movie. If I had to make a complaint about that though, it's that it seems kind of out-of-place in this generic kids movie. My guess is that the animators wanted to get out of their element and try something new. The animation here is passable to say the least, but I wouldn't say that it is worth an Emmy-award.

The Characters: Okay, remember when I said that I didn't exactly watch the show? Well, get ready for me to analyze the characters even though I may only know of their personality due to the movie. There's the movie's protagonist Spot Helperman, a.k.a. Scott Leadready II, a.k.a. Scott Manly-Manning. You know what, let's just call him Spot, it'll make thing's easier. He's an optimistic and ambitious dog who's main purpose in life is to (cut to Spot singing: Be a boy!) and tries to indulge this by dressing up as a boy and attend school. When he hears that a mad scientist claims that he can turn animals into humans, he immediately sets out to make his dream come true. However, since he is so determined to be a human, it can also make him have some selfish and douchey quirks to him, as he often disregards Leonard's advice and when he becomes a human, he gets a bit worse, but, as I said before, he soon comes to realize that his joy in life was being with Leonard as a dog. I will admit, that is some great character development onto him, but it seems a bit generic since we've seen it happen to other fictional characters. There's Leonard, Spot's owner who wants him to give up his human ambition and accept dog life. In a way, he seems like the voice-of-reason for Spot and his friendship with him, which plays a major part in the movie, is seriously tested when Spot's ambition takes it to a new level, but he's actually executed in a quite great way that puts more development onto him than simply being a Charlie Brown-esque boy. As for the characters that were on the show that appeared in the movie some of them play a role like Leonard's mom is still the goofy parent trope who's purpose is to just be nominated for a teacher's award; Pretty Boy, a gruff parrot, and Mr. Jolly, a cowardly cat, are Leonard's other pets who are basically the comic reliefs who have their own side plot of going to Florida to save Spot and Mr. Jolly also seems to have more character development onto him; and there's also Ian Wazselewski, one of Leonard of Spot's classmate's, who is a straight-up weirdo who only plays a bit of a part in the movie, whether it be for gag purposes to spice up the comedy or to help Leonard and Spot out in one scene. As for the characters made exclusively for the film since this is basically the series finale in movie form, there are those that play a big part like the villasn of the movie. You have Dr. Ivan Krank, a mad scientist who wants to show everyone that he isn't a, quite-unquote, Whacko, by turning animals into human beings. He is a bit funny, especially since Kelsey Grammer gives off a great German-accented, but there are times when he becomes frightening and you actually take him seriously. There's Dennis and Adelle, who just Krank's minions/previous creations whose only purpose is to help him and they're mostly one-dimensional with Dennis being a dim-witted Alligator and Adelle being a smart Misquito. I guess they're additional comic reliefs, but the movie is better off with Pretty Boy and Mr. Jolly filling that role. Some of the characters here seem a bit well developed, but some are mostly generic tropes that don't add in anything to the movie.

The Songs: I know this movie is a musical, but personally, I think the filmmakers only made it this for filler purposes. However, some of the songs are are somewhat enjoyable. You start things off with "I Wanna Be a Boy", which seems like an extended version of the TV Shows theme, You got "A Friend Needs a Friend", which brings in the emotion that the film has, but it's reprise seems like an improvement of it. Next there's "A Whole Lot of World in Our Backyard" which is just Spot, Leonard, and Leonard's mom just singing about the states of America while you see something that represents it. Next, there's "Small But Mighty", which honestly seems like the weakest due to how short it is and how it just serves as motivation for Mr. Jolly. There's "I, Ivan Krank", the villain song which is actually kind of catchy with an enjoyable tango tune. "Take the Money and Run" seems like actually more worse than "Small But Mighty" since it's just there for filler purposes. "I'm Moving On" is one of the better ones since it offers a look at how the characters are dealing with their respective distressful situations. Finally, we end things off with "I'm Proud to be a Dog", which is honestly the best one of them all since it delivers the moral and it gives the movie a nice conclusion. Some of the songs here are absolutely great to watch while others are a bit unnecessary.

Teacher's Pet is probably the best instance where a tv show ends in the form of a movie. Complete with a somewhat generic story, more-or-less impressive animation, a few characters with development and generic personalities, and songs that can either make you smile or make you a bit confused. I wouldn't say that it's one the best films based on an animated tv-show, but it nevertheless finds a way to make the premise that the show has work. If i had to give any recommendation, it's that you can watch this movie, but not make a big deal out of it. It sort of feels like your watching an episode of the tv show, but with more interesting scenes and honestly, that is a bit okay for it to be released in theaters instead of making a tv film or even a straight-to-DVD movie, but that probably won't save other animated film studios from that case.

Story: 6/10

Animation: 7/10

Characters: 6/10

Songs: 7/10

Score: 7/10


	2. Monsters vs Aliens

Monsters vs. Aliens

If you recall back in my Dreamworks Animation Lookback, I said that this movie was the first to be released in stereo-scopic 3-D instead of having the 3-D effects added on and I also said that it didn't do entirely well at the box office and received decent-to-mix reviews. But as a favor to that fan of mine I said previously, I decided to unleash my thoughts on it. Will this movie be of monstrous intensity or will this just be a waste of our time abducted? Let's find out.

The Story: Right off the bat, the story seems kind of original and interesting. It's about this woman named Susan Murphy who was hit by a meteorite on her wedding day and grows into a 50ft-tall giant and is placed in a remote facility where other monsters are kept. (Shot of one of the president's employees whispering to another, "Is he referring to Area Fifty...?" He is cut off by a blow dart that is launched into his neck and passes out.) Soon enough, Susan and her new friends, B.O.B., The Missing Link, Dr. Cockroach PhD, and Insectosaurus are given the opportunity for freedom when the President has them fight off a giant alien robot from space. Unknown to the heroes, the robot was sent by an evil alien named Gallaxhar who wants the essence of Susan's gianormous size, which he calls quantonium, so that he can make clones of himself to take over the Earth. In retrospect, it seems like it could be something interesting, but the story seems like 35% generic with cliche plot points and predictable outcomes. I wouldn't say that it's bad for an animated feature, it's just that it's kind of overdone. Although, I got to give the movie some credit from taking elements from classic monster movies like The Blob, The Creature from the Black Lagoon, and Attack of the 50ft woman. Those concepts are epic to put in an animated film; only it seems like they can be fit for better things than a generic storyline.

The Animation: The animation in Monsters vs. Aliens seems like something to be interested in and I got to say, it really is. I mean with the way that each character moves like B.O.B., Gallaxhar or heck even the robot, is all too impressive. The attention to detail is something to compliment. Now onto the character animation. Admittedly, it is creative as it is impressive with how they move. If I had to make any complaint, is that it seems a bit generic, especially in a world made by Dreamworks, but I'm willing to give it a pass since how impressive the animation is on the characters. As for the background animation, it is about as impressive as the character animation. With places like the remote monster facility and Gallaxhar's ship, it shows just what Dreamworks is capable of. Other places like Medesto feel like a generic city, but it seems good enough for this film. To put it into words, the animation is both impressive and decent enough for the movie.

The Characters: To be honest guys, it doesn't seem all that hard describing the characters since most of them are one-dimensional and whatever development they have can be just there for filler purposes. You have Susan Murphy who is an upbeat woman seeking to take a big step in her life with marriage, but after being unexpectedly hit with a meteor and growing to a 50ft-tall giant, her first reaction is that she wants to go back home and get back to normal size by any means, but would soon come to embrace her new potential in life. In short, she's the protagonist who has her own plans in life, but an unexpected series of events causes her to rethink them. As for the monsters, each of them have their own personality but as said before, they can be one-dimensional. Dr. Cockroach is the stereotypical mad-scientist, the Missing Link is the jock who is out of shape, but his pride clouds him from admitting it, B.O.B., who is the best character in my opinion, is the generic idiot but heart of the group and is the funniest character in the movie whether it be through Seth Rogen's lines or whatever kind of idiotic thing he does, and Insectosaurus seems like one of the more better ones as despite the fact that she is just a giant roaring insect, she has a personality of her own since she has sentience and is willing to help her friends. Ow, sorry, did I spoil the fact that Insectosaurus is a girl? Well, I thought I might since she turns into a butterfly with a feminine look As for the human characters, they're also one-dimmensional with little-to-no development, like General Monger is the head of the monster prison who takes great pride in sending his prisoners to save the world, the President is actually one of the more better characters since he has a lot of the funniest lines and moments of the movie, and Derek Dietel, Susan's fiancee, proves to be more of a dick than you would expect before the film came out in theaters. And then there's the villain of the film, Gallaxhar. Honestly, there isn't much to say about him other than he's a generic villainous alien who wants to take over the Earth. The film does have a scene where he explains his origins to Susan, but probably just for comedic purposes, they spoiled that scene with a joke where he keeps getting cut off every time he clones himself. Some of the characters here are okay and maybe even more funny than what you'd expect, but not all of them hit that mark.

Monsters vs. Aliens is an okay feature, but I can see why it's one of the more forgettable films of Dreamworks. It has a generic and predictable story, animation that's the same as Shrek, and characters with little to no development. I can understand why the Nickelodeon series was cancelled after just one season. The entire movie is just hammering down a tone that says that the movie is just for kids. If anything, I'd say that this falls in line as enjoyable between Home and Shark Tale. I will give the movie some credit for going in some directions to try and spice the movie up a bit, but I have to wonder, could they do better than this?

Story: 4/10

Animation: 6/10

Characters: 5/10

Score: 5/10


	3. Clifford's Really Big Movie!

Clifford's Really Big Movie

I can say that without a doubt that Clifford is one of the the most memorable children's animated TV series ever known, outside its spin-offs and book series. I wouldn't say for sure that I am an avid watcher of the series or even a supporter of the franchise since its aimed mostly for anyone under the age of 7. When it comes to this theatrical release that's a series finale however, you see a more 10 to 13 year old feeling to it since it seems to be something that only some kids at that age can take. But anyway, looking into the film itself, will it make us love the giant red dog even more or has John Ritter left behind an embarrassment after his death? Let's find out.

The Story: The way to describe the story is that it seems pretty weak. It's about Clifford, T-Bone, and Cleo joining a group of carnival-like animals to get a big batch of Tummy Yummies so that Clifford's owner, Emily-Elizabeth won't have to worry about getting rid of him due to the fact that he's, well, gigantic. It actually feels more like an hour-long episode of the tv-show, except with more scenery. Oh, and let me just tell you, the entire plot is forced because Clifford overheard his owner's neighbor, Mr. Bleackman, say that Clifford is a potential problem on their finance and this worries Clifford to the point of joining the animals. I will give the movie credit though for having some of depth and heart whether it be about the relationship between Clifford and Shackelford due to the latter's jealousy between the former, and how Clifford is willing to do what he can for his family, along with the fact that he and his friends meet the carnival animals before the adventure even begins. That is admirable, but I wouldn't say that it saves the movie from having a forced plot.

The Animation: What the movie lacks in a wholeheartred story, it really makes up for in it's great animation. For starters, the characters here look more fluid and flash-animated, along with the fact that every character has white sclera in there eyes like Clifford has instead of black dots. It really shows that the animators really put effort into this so that it can feel like an entire movie. The background animation here looks kind of CGI, but hey, I think that's something a lot of animators want to do for a film based on an animated tv series. As for the character animation, I will admit that it stays true to how the tv series showed it and I got to say, this is a huge improvement for it since the characters here are a lot more interesting to look at. I can even say that this is animation fit for a movie; especially one that is based on an animated tv show and make it feel like a film that even anyone ten years old can watch.

The Characters: Let me just say here that the characters here won't offer a lot in terms of who they are. Starting things off with Clifford, needless to say, his personality hasn't changed much as it was on the show. He's still the same kind-hearted big fella who just wants to do what's right and that disappointingly makes him seem like a one-dimensional character. But even with that generic personality, it doesn't mean he isn't enjoyable. Heck, whenever he's on screen, it just feels like you can't get enough of that. There's Clifford's friends, the lovable and goofy T-Bone and the sassy and tomboyish Cleo, who are just Clifford's sidekicks in general who support him, but they both have some moments where they play a part in the story. Well; Cleo does more than T-Bone, but I digress. Emily Elizabeth and her family are unfortunately glossed over in the movie to have more screen-time for Clifford, his friends, and the carnival animals, so we don't get to see more of a character development onto her, but she is still a likable character due to her devotion to Clifford. When we look at the new characters, I don't think they're much better than the main ones. The only one who has somewhat of a prominent role is the ferret Shackelford, who is the _de facto_ leader of the carnival animals, as he is at first elated that Clifford is joining his group,but gets jealous when Clifford begins to get all of the attention. It makes him somewhat of an hate-able character, but he eventually sees the light in his errors; and to be honest, this makes him feel like a generic trope where a guy is jealous of another but soon learns to put that aside for the greater good. The carnival animals offer little-to-know personality than with Dorothy the Cow as the only female, Rodrigo the Chihuahua who adds in charisma, and Dirk the Wiener Dog who's personality can be compared to, say, Smoove Move from Turbo. The same can be said for the new human characters, like George Wolfsbottom, who is just a generic greedy villain, his spoiled daughter Madison who is kind of both enjoyable and bothersome, and Larry the owner/ringleader of the carnival animals who is a more enjoyable character, but not so much. Both the main, new, and recurring characters here have something to offer, but I wouldn't call it something that you have to go see right away.

Whether you love it or hate it, this definitely belongs in the same category as the kids cartoon show. Clifford's Really Big Movie is just your regular generic kids film complete with a forced plot and one-dimensional characters. The only good thing I have to say about it is that its animation here has taken a step up. But other than that, I have nothing else to say about. And that is why, and I apologize to every Clifford fan out there, but I am giving this movie the AniMat Seal of Garbage because the tone of this movie is completely hammering down the fact that it's for someone who is either seven years old or under. But if you really like Clifford so much, than who am I to deprive you of something that is to your interest. But if you are a kid who's listening, you'll probably understand what I am talking about once you get older.

Story: 4/10

Animation: 7/10

Characters: 4/10

Score: 4/10


	4. The Wild Thornberry's Movie

The Wild Thornberry's Movie

The Wild Thornberrys was a show on Nickelodeon that lasted from the late 1990s to the early 2000s. Next to the Rugrats, Spongebob Squarepants, and Hey Arnold!, this was one of the shows from Nickelodeon that received its personal theatrical film, next to it's crossover with the Rugrats. If you guys are wondering on what my thoughts of the franchise are, well, I wouldn't call myself a straight-up fan of the show. I mean, there have been other media that have the concept of a girl talking to animals, like Littlest Pet Shop and All Dogs Go to Heaven, but when we look into this franchise, it makes a bit of a difference since it was both a show and a movie. Anyway, I don't want to babble on here so, let's just get to the review. Will The Wild Thornberrys Movie makes have a new appreciation for one of Nick's famous shows? Or will it show why having the power to talk to animals is something we are thankful to not have? Let's find out.

The Story: The way that it presents itself here is actually pretty great for an animated show turned into a 90 minute feature theater film. It raises some of the stakes quite higher than expected with something like The Wild Thornberrys. It features Eliza THornberry on her biggest adventure yet, which is to save a lost Cheetah cub named Telly from a gang of poachers all while struggling to keep her ability to speak to animals a secret from her family. This would result in her and Darwin to brave many challenges to find the lost cub, like getting through Boarding School; a place recomended by her grandmother, having to disobey her parents, and so much more dangerous stuff. However, even though Eliza is the main focus, the rest of the characters would go through a plot of their own, like Debbie trying to find Eliza with help from a native boy named Boko, Eliza's parents joining forces with Nigel's parents to find Eliza, and Darwin's friendship with Eliza being tested and each shows some development onto the characters. There is a downside to that though, most of these sub-plots feel like filler just to hit that 90-minute mark. That and the fact that what stems Eliza's adventure is a cub being taken, which is a bit of a cliche. However, in a show like The Wild Thornberrys, it actually seems to make the progress work, so I will give it a pass. To sum it all up, even though the story has many mildly unnecesarry gap fill-ins and the main plotline is kind of troped, it does present on what the movie can work with since it is pretty believable for this to be put in The Wild Thornberrys.

The Animation: To say that the animation has changed at all would be a bit of an understatement. Here's what I mean; in the show, the animation looks a bit retro, which is actually believable since the series came out in the 90s which had that type of animation. Here in the movie, it does look a bit more smoother and keeps the down-to-earth nature that the show is known for and this was probably due to the film being released in 2003, a year where animation was having an upgrade. For the background animation, we've pretty much seen countless jungles in the show so the one at the film's start isn't really all that surprising. However, there is the exception with the new surroundings that we see like the Boarding School in London, the amount of land Eliza and Darwin cover after escaping said school, and that giant oasis at the ending climax of the film which adds in some horrific tension and, just to say, that is a heck of a way to raise the stakes. As for the character animation, well again, other than the fact that athe characters now move in a smooth way more so than in the show, I wouldn't really call it a sight-to-see. The animation may not have a lot to offer, but in the hands of the people behind The Wild Thornberrys, they work with what they're given.

The Characters: Let me just tell you guys that since I'm not a Wild Thornberrys fanatic, I propaby won't give the best analyzation of the chaarcters, but I'll do what I can. Since the Wild Thornberrys have hit the big screen, it makes you wonder how they will be executed in the longrun. Starting with Eliza, she's the adventurous pre-teen girl who wants to do what's right, even if it means disobeying the rules. She tries desperately to with-hold knowlegment about her ability to speak-to-animals, but and spoilers, she eventually confesses it to save her sister and is now put in a predicament where she has to save a herd of elephants without her power. I will admit that is some great development on her, but my issue is that she feels like a trope where she's a person who learns that you don't need an extrordinary power to save the day. There's Dawin, the Thornberrys pet Chimpanzee and Eliza's best friend who is sort of the comic relief due his cowardly nature and the fact that he speaks in a Frasier Crane-like british accent. Like Eliza and as I said before, the one development that is known about him is that his relationship with Eliza is put to the test during her mission to save Tally, given the fact that he complains a lot. As for Eliza's family, there's Nigel the absent-minded father and host of a nature show who has more funnier moments that Darwin, Mary-Anne is the camera-lady and mother who is more serious, Debbie is the sarcastic, stereotypical teen girl that has the some development when she has to put aside her snobbiness to save her sister, and Donnie, who I find very annoying given the fact that he's a miniature Tarzan that speaks in gibberish. As for the new characters of the film, there are only three that stand-out. There's Tally, the cheetah cub kidnapped by poachers who is just the dasel-in-distress and does not appear as much, and the Blackburns, Sloan and Bree, who are the main antagonists and the poachers hwo kidnapped Tally. tehy're okay as villains since they have quite an ingenious plan to murder a 200-yard long herd of elephants with a huge electric fence, but there's one thing that kind of bothers me about them they don't reveal that they're evil until near the climax and we only see them in two scenes before they're true is revealed. However, seeing that a surprise bad guy ws rare in the early 2000s, I could give it a pass. The characters here may not have so uch development or interesting aspects, but I'll go along with it since the characters played a part in raising th stkes for the movie.

Well Nickelodeon, it seems you did the best you can do with material given from one of your shows. The Wild Thornberry's Movie may be a bt underrated and somewhat forgetttable, but it is nonetheless an enjoyable film that the family can enjoy. I wouldn't call this film a rental, but if you would like to see it, I recommend that you do. With some development on the characters and an original story, this movie is something that the fans of the show would like to see. It's pretty decent and gives a whole new feeling of the word 'wild', but I digress.

Story: 7/10

Animation: 7/10

Characters: 7/10

Score: 7/10


	5. Happy Feet

AniMat Reviews

Happy Feet

In what is considered the best animated film of 2006, this is a feature that features talking animals, which in this case is exclusively penguins, like you have never seen before. Back in 2011, I've given my review of the sequel, which didn't exactly meet up to its expectations to be a wonderous film like its predecessor. But enough about that. In the very first Warner Bros Pictures Animation that features an array of birds, the second and third being Owls of Ga'Hoole and Storks respectively, will this movie make our feet happy? Or is it as underwhelming as the sequel? Let's find out.

The Story: The story here is actually kind of complex and to tell you the truth, that is what makes it so engaging. Allow me to explain. From the trailers, it seems like it will be one of those generic, "There's this one guy that's different from the others and he is ridiculed for it and goes on a journey to learn the joys of being oneself," cliches. However, the movie completly catches us off-guard where Mumble's journey eventually takes him to find the source of his tribe's food shortage and to stop the aliens, which is actually us humans. What really makes the film different from any other is that it shifts from tone-to-tone, like where it's a musical, a drama, a romance, and a fantasy filled with exposition. The film's story may be quite confusing, but if you let it sink in, you'll find that it is one of the best in an animated film.

The Animation: The animation here is quite a sight to behold. When you take a mental picture of an animated movie about Penguins in Antarctica, you might think this. (Shows a picture of the Antarctica scene from Dreamworks' Madagascar; complete with Private saying, 'Well this sucks'.) But unlike that, the animators here knew exactly what they were doing. Starting off on the background animation, it is really impressive down to every attention to detail, whether it be the scenes in the snowy land, where a countless number of Penguins are either walking or dancing and especially in scenes involving real-looking water. As for the character animation, it really shows just how well the animators are able to make Emperor Penguins, with the exception of Mumble's design, Rockhopper Penguins, Adelie Penguins, Sea Lions, Elephant Seals, and even the Skuas. They all look like they're from the real world and are actually anthropomorphic. The reason I say that is because at the film's end, it shows a bunch of live-action humans. Yeah, I dare say that this is the film that has an animated enviorment in the live-action world. Finally, there are the dancing scenes and let me tell you, it really shows just how humanoid these Penguins are as they dance in forms of sync and Mumble's 'happy feet' seems to be the most interesting due to it's fast-paced movements. Needless to say, the animation here is as wonderous as the day is wide.

The Characters: It will probably take me a while to describe these guys since some of them have their own forms of development, for instance, the main character, Mumble. He starts off as the guy who is different from his fellow penguins due to the fact that he can't sing, but is an avid tap-dancer. After being seperated from his herd, he would undergo a sense of determination to both be accepted for who he is and to find out why there is a fish shortage in his group. As for the Adelie Penguins, well as I said in my Happy Feet Two review, they are my favorite characters of this movie. Sure, they can be seen as simple comic reliefs, but they show that they're much more than that when they welcome Mumble to their home after he is seperated from his and also accept his tap-dancing talent. Ramone has to be my favorite of the bunch due to his charisma, witty one-liners, and Robin Willams' performance. You also have Mumble's dad Memphis, who you rather feel bitter to as throughout the majority of the film, he feels embarrassed by Mumble's tap-dancing and caves into peer pressure against his son. Granted, at the film's end, it shows that he deeply regrets it and learns to accept Mumble for who he is, but you can't help but want to nominate him for Worst Father of the Year. The same can be said for Noah the Elder and his fellow elder penguins, as they are so stubborn about the penguin way, that they see Mumble as a freak and it really shows that they are villains you just love-to-hate. As for other characters like Mumble's mother Norman Jean, his love-interest Gloria, and Lovelace the Rockhopper with six-rings piut around his neck, they're more likable than Noah and Memphis and the scenes they have with Mumble really show what kind of relationship they're building with the main character. The characters here are a mixed-bag, for lack of better word, mixed. Some are characters you find enjoyable and others you just want to punch in the gut. Oh, and before I forget, I just want to say that the voice acting is just beautiful as the cast capture the emotion of the characters and the songs they sing are as beautiful as watching the sun rise.

I'll never udnerstand why this film had such a lackluster sequel instead of letting it be it's own thing. Happy Feet is an enjoyable and heartwarming animated film with some great musical numbers by the chaarcters and the ones who voiced them and some very impressive animation. I'll admit, this story is not wthout flaws, but they're not as big as the flaws of the sequel. I must implore you guys to go and watch this movie for you would end up pretty satisfied with the results. And that is why I am giving this movie the ANiMat Seal of Approval.

Story: 9/10

Animation: 10/10

Characters: 7/10

Score: 9/10 


	6. Everyone's Hero

Everyone's Hero

From the mind of the late Christopher Reeeve, the same guy who played Superman, we get an animated baseball story that came out in late 2006. This sort of makes the film a bit dated and it has fallen into obscurity since that year. Beyond that, there are only a handful of animated sports films like the Pixar Cars franchise, Aardman's Early Man, Dreamworks' Turbo, the forgettable Netflix movie Underdogs, the live-action/animated mixture masterpiece Space Jam, the list goes on. But now that we are looking at the first and to my knowledge only animated film made by Mr. Reeves, will it be a homerun out of the park? Or will it get three strikes from me? Let's find out.

The Story: I will say that the plot of the movie is very straightforward with its premise. The film tells us the story of a young baseball fan named Yankee Irving going on a mission to retrieve the stolen bat of Babe Ruth himself, vindicate his father when he is blamed and fired for the incident, and give the bat back to Ruth before the 1932 World Series. Along the way, Yankee learns about confidence, determination, and the willingness to fight for what is right. That seems like a very nice way to tell the story, but in execusion wise, well, it, like Screwie, is somewhat of a foul ball. Here's the thing; it seems like your typical and bland follow your dream story mixed with a predictable sports story and all the cliches are in it; the underdog who goes on the adventure, the competitive bad guys who cheat, completely unoriginal comic reliefs, and so much more. If there has to be any saving graces, it would have to be the comedy. It mostly just features witty remarks and slapstick, but it actually can be rather amusing and entertaining to see. But other than that, the story here is just mediocre to say the least and the epic climax in the end only does so much to keep the auiences entertained.

The Animation: If you think the story was foul, well let's see how I can hit the bat on the animation. For starters, the appearence of the characters and the enviorments looks like something out of the Weinstein Company. The company that made this, IDT Entertainment, made other animated films I reviewed like Jonah: A Veggie Tales Movie, Gnomeo and Juliet, and Dante's Inferno, and distributed films like Hair High and Space Chimps; so I can possibly give it a break since this was made back in it's early days. I can't say anything bad about the character animation as it has a down-to-earth feel to it. Same can be said for Screwie and Darla as they roll and hop around like any anthropomorphic object without the need of hands or feet. As for the background animation, admitedly it is kind of generic, but it is great to see how things looked like in 1932, like New York City; Toledo, Ohio; and Chicago. While the animation here can be rather bland and formulaic, it still seems worth to watch to get some charm out of it.

The Characters: I hope I can at least get to second base, not in the adult context mind you, when describing the characters of the movie. Starting things off with Yankee, he's your typical baseball star wannabee who's ultiate mission is to prove his dad's innocence when Darlin' is stolen. As I said before, he seems to be a generic underdog and can get annoying at times whether it be through Jake T. Austin's performance or how Yankee acts in certain situations. However, I will say in execution wise, he seems like the kind of person you would like to be the main protagonist and his adventure puts a lot of character development onto him. You also have the living baseball and bat who are also the comic reliefs, Screwie and Darlin'. The former has a cynical outlook on baseball due to having been a foul-ball in the major leagues and the latter is mostly the pompous prima donna cliche. Although I did say that they are unorginal comic reliefs, I will give the film credit that, like Yankee, they aren't all one dimmensional and the film does gives them both development and help Yankee out durign the mission. There are also the villains of the film; Napoleon Cross, the owner of the Chicago Cubs and Lefty Maginnis, the dirty-playing pitcher for the Cubs. We mostly focus on the latter during the film and he's often the butt-monkey of the film's slapstick and also some gross-out moments that add in the humor, but he's mostly just the villain's comedic assistant through-and- through. As for Cross, I will admit that he is kind of excellent as a villain. Sure he may be a bit generic, but it's through the villain's plan and also Robin Williams' performance that add some charm to him. Also, Williams asked not to be creditted out of respect for Reeves since both of them were college roomies.  
As for the other characters like Marti, Yankee's parents, and Babe Ruth himself, they're mostly there to advance the plot or cheer Yankee on. They are nonetheless likeable and have a great amount of scenes. The plot and animation may have gotten some foul balls, but it's safe to say that I knocked the characters out of the park.

Well Mr. Reeves, if your watching this from up above, I hope your taking my review of your movie in. Everyone's Hero isn't what I would call an animated masterpiece with a generic sports-movie plotline, but it makes up for it with decent animation and multi-dimmensional characters. If you're an ultimate baseball fan, than this is one movie you can watch in the spirit of the sport. If you just want to watch something with Robin Williams in it, then it wouldn't hurt to rent it. I can honestly say that I almost struck out while reviewing the movie, but as if I had practiced my baseball prowess, if I ever played the sport that is, I ended up with a satisfying result that now makes me have a new appreciation for this movie.

Story: 6/10

Animation: 6/10

Characters: 8/10

Score: 7/10


	7. Up

Up

Ah yes, we're finally getting into one of Pixar's most emotional films, well other than Coco that is. This little 2009 movie made by Pete Docter has touched the hearts of many people over the years. I kid you not that this is one of if not the most popular Pixar movies to date. Next to Disey's Beaty and the Beast, it recived a nominaton for an Academy Award for Best Picture. But when looking into it many years later, does it still fly high as it did when it was released in theaters? Or has time brought this movie down like Carl at the film's start? Let's find out.

The Story: If you think about it, the film's premise really isn't all that impressive. It just tells the story of a widowed old grouch named Carl Fredrickson who has seen better days and is determined to keep a promise he made to his deceased wife when they were kids, which in this case is going to live near a waterfall in Central America. However, in execution wise, it actually makes that simple plot more interesting as it throws in a whole bunch of stuff to suck you in with interest in where the ovie is going, like characters to play off Carl who have their own development to them and the setting of Paradise Falls. Also, I would also like to point out that the movie is more character-driven, as it looks into Carl's life and why he's so determined to go to South America with his house, which gives the film an emotional tone. I also would like to talk about the story's pacing, which starts off slow and happy at the beginning with Carl and Ellie's married life, how emotional the story gets when we end up at Paradise Falls, and a bit of a combination between happy and sad when the story gets clsoe to the end. I can safely say that the story here is as bright as the sun in big blue sky.

The Animation: Let's be honest, Pixar has quite the reputation for having grade-A animation; whether it be from films like the Cars franchise, Inside Out, WALL-E, Finding Nemo and Dory, and especially Coco, they know how to animate things in their movie. This film is of course no exception. The animation in this movie is as grand as the jungles of South America. Starting things off with the backgrounds, it's quite amazing to see the attention to detail on basically everything in the movie, from Carl's house, to the city where he lives in, to the sky and the clouds within it, to jungle parts of Paradise Falls, to the Spirit of Adventure zeppelin, and so much more. As for the character animation, it's highly impressive seeing Pixar being able to use animation for humans in such a thrilling enviorment, even to the movement of their clothes whenever they move. The same can be said for other characters like the dogs and Kevin the exoctic bird. Also, it seems really great to see how they animate the items of the movie, wheter it be the dogs' collars that enable them to speak or the countless number of balloons tied to Carl's house. The animation here is basically like the adventure Carl and Russell go on, it's full of twists and turns that leave you amazed and shocked in the best way possible.

The Characters: Remember when I said this movie is character driven? Well, it's safe to say the the characters in this movie live up to that statement, and no example can be truer than that with Carl Fredrickson. As a man who lives a lonely life ever since the demise of his wife Ellie, he's the type of character who's behavior comes from what he experienced in life. From heartbreak, to changes in time that annoy him, to having determination to follow on a promise he made to his late wife, the list goes on. Although he's so determined to bring his house to Paradise Falls, he would be put in more than one situation that causes him to put that on hold in order to help his new friends, which would later tie-in to how Ellie would want him to live his life even after she died, thus giving Carl some character development and adding in to the film's emotional tone. Other characters that really drive this movie to be great is Russell, an excitable 8-year-old 'Wilderness Explorer' who's main goal is at first to assisit Carl to get his 'assisting the elderly' badge, but after being exposed to what's happening in Paradise Falls, he becomes motivated to do what is right, even if it means he won't get that patch. Also, we later learn in the movie that he has a somewhat troubled home-life, which makes him more relatable. As for their new animal friends, Dug the Dog and Kevin the Magestic Bird, at first they seem like general comic reliefs, but as the film would go on, they do have a significant role to the movie that makes them just as enjoyable as the main characters with Dug being an outcast to Muntz's fellow canines, and Kevin trying to get back to her children but being the target of capture. And then there's Charles Muntz, the villain of the film who is honestly the most interesting character out of everyone in this movie. Was once a respected expeditioner who lost his glory when being accused of falsifying a speciman of an exotic bird, he is determined to capture the beast to restore his reputation, even if he has to off someone who he thinks is in his way. He's sort of like Carl as both of them lost something they hold very dear and he also plays a part in Carl's character development to make him grow. As for other characters seen in the film, they're a bit of a mixed bag like Alpha, Beta, and Gamma being your standard villain's henchman and Ellie seems like just the movie's driving force. It's safe to say that the main characters are what really make this movie fly high.

Well Pixar, you really outdid yourselves. Well that;s a bit of an understatement since you always tend to do so. Up is without a doubt, one of Pixar's most greatest films. The emotion, the humor, the action, the lovabld characters, the list goes on. I wouldn't be surprised if Pixar decided to re-release this in theaters within the forseeable future. If you are a major Pixar fan, than this is a movie for you and yur family to enjoy. It's safe to say that this film went all 'Up' in entertainment and that is why I am giving this movie the AniMat Seal of Approval. And I dare say that it possibly deserves ore than that.

Story: 10/10

Animation: 10/10

Characters: 10/10

Score: 10/10 


	8. The Ant Bully

The Ant Bully

When you hear about an animated movie about insects, or to be more precise ants, you would probably think of Pixar's A Bug's Life or Dreamworks' Antz and both of them turned out to be very good movies. But they didn't end up being the only ones. In July of 2006, Warner Brothers Pictures released this little flick that was based on a book released in 1999 by John Nickle. It received mixed reviews from critics and became a box-office disappointment and despite releasing some tie-in shorts that were released on Cartoon Network, The Ant Bully eventually fell into obscurity just like The Wild, which was released the same year. But when looking at the movie years later, does it hold as much promise as A Bug's Life and Antz or has the value shrunk to ant-size like Lucas? Let's find out.

The Story: When looking at the premise, it's seems kind of generic. It's about a kid named Lucas who copes with his bully problems by terrorizing a colony of ants, who retaliate by shrinking him with a potion concocted by the local wizard and he must earn their respect in order to go back home by becoming one of them. It's your typical hero does something bad and is put in a scenario to learn from his mistakes story that was done in other movies like Brother Bear or Beauty and the Beast and this is quite a tiring arch-type to put in movies, resulting in the story to be predictable and formulaic as you know that at the movie's end, Lucas will befriend the ants and grow back to human size. That and the message of the story feels pretty underwhelming as it tries to teach that no matter how small people are, when they band together, they're metaphorically big, which can be found in some other movies. However, even with a formulaic concept, the execution of the film does actually make it enjoyable for the most part. For instance; it is pretty nice to see how the ant colony functions where some ants are either a forager or a scout, the ant council, and Zoc's potion-making hobby. Not only those things, but the humor the film gives out is also pretty funny whether it be the slapstick or some of the other characters antics. But the story's execution can also come with some downgrades as well, like some scenes carry quite a mean-spirited feeling, whether it be at the beginning of the film where we see what Lucas's life is like before he was shrunk and how much of a vendetta Zoc has against Lucas. Yet, I will give this movie credit for trying to be it's own identity instead of copying A Bug's Life or Antz. Whether you love it or hate, it is safe to say that the story is quite a mixed bag.

The Animation: I will admit that, even though the story can be quite messy, the animation here is decent for the most part. The movie has a bit of a down-to-earth feeling, which maybe coincidental considering the Lucas' predicament within the film. For starters the way the ants look is half-realistic and half-cartoony, where they seem like regular red-ants but their anthropomorphic features give way to their cartoonish side like having 4-legs but 2-arms and also having human-esque eyes. The same can be said for the other bugs that appear in the film like the beetle, fly, and glow worm. The only exception are the wasps, who look as if they came straight from the real world. Heck, even the scene with the frog has a realistic feel to it. As for the human characters, they are more realistic and less cartoony than the insects, but are a bit on the generic side. I'm not saying that there's anything bad about them, they just look quite bland. For the backgrounds, I will say that the highlight of it would be the point-of-view from the ants, from how their world functions on the grassfield to the inside of Lucas' house to the inside the ant hill to most of the adventures Lucas has with them and it is quite engaging to say the least. Finally, for the character animation, I know I said that the ants look cartoony, but their movements are as generic as the storyline along with the humans. Similar to the story, the animation here is quite hit or miss.

The Characters: While the story and the animation do have some good points to them, I can't very well say the same for the characters in this movie. The characters are shown to be very one-dimmensional and barely have any development put onto them. Which seems disappointing since the characters have potential to be just as engaging as the story and animation. Lets begin with the main character, Lucas, who's your typical bully target who takes his anger out on the ant colony, subsequently dubbing him 'The Destroyer'. I know we're suppose to feel sorry for him because he's being bullied, but for some parts of the film, he acts a little bratty and kind of annoying. I will admit that as the film goes on, he does get more likable and even begins adapting to the ant enviorment, but even then he still feels a bit generic for my taste. The ants are not exactly all that better as each of them has a trope that becomes their defining trait. Hova is the kind-hearted ant woman who's more open-minded to befriending Lucas, Kreela is the sassy girl, Fugax is the goofy comic relief who's in love with Kreela, Spindle acts more like a pet than a character, the Head Council Ant is a simple reminder that he's Ricardo Montalbán's last movie role before dying 2-and-a-half years later, and the Queen is your typical wise ruler of the ants who only appears in two scenes. The only ant who appears to have any substance is Zoc, the ant wizard and Hova's boyfriend who is utterly distrustful of Lucas because of what he's done to the colony but learns to put aside his pride in order to help Lucas in the climax. I admit that he is the most interesting character in the movie and Nicolas Cage does give a good performance, but as I said before, his scenes with Lucas can give out a very mean tone that makes Zoc come across as somewhat unlikable. As for the other human characters, the most prominent one is the movie's antagonist, Stan Beals the Exterminator or as he is known by the ants, The Cloudbreather. In all honestly, there isn't much interest to this guy other than he's the generic villain who enjoys his job to a sadistic degree. Same can be said for Lucas' family like his valley-girl teen sister Tiffany, his crazy grandmother who believes in aliens, and both his parents and bullies who are only given a small amount of screen time. The only other characters that I can give props to other than Zoc is the non-ant bugs that are seen in the film's second half, which include an exuberant beetle, a pessimisstic glow worm, and a grumpy fly. Even though they don't appear as much as the main characters, they do have a sense of enjoyability to them and some may wish they were the focus of the film. While there are some characters that can be classified as just okay, I can say that a lot of the people and ants in this movie aren't all appealing.

It may not be Antz or A Bug's life, but I really don't consider that a bad thing. The Ant Bully is a bland feature with a more-or-less generic storyline and more-or-less one-dimmensional characters along with an overused message, but the execution and the animation are pretty decent for what the movie is. If I had to make a recommendation, I would say that it is worth at least one or two watches because unless if you really don't mind seeing the movie, than you're not missing out on much. Also before I close this review, I'd liek to give my personal thoughts on the shorts that came out before the movie back in 2006. I admit they are quite enjoyable and even funny despite the generic look, but I also kind of feel like they don't tie in to the movie. Beyond that, they and the movie do a pretty passable job and hopefully, it will show me what happens when you harass ants because I don't exactly have the interest of being shrunk down to less than a centimeter high.

Story: 6/10

Animation: 7/10

Characters: 5/10

Score: 6/10


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